Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-08-05
THE PEERLESS VOLUNTEER.
She Leads the Entire Fleet i'm the Run
70 Newport

EASILY 0yKRHAULTNG AND PASSING THE PURITAN
SHOWING her SUPERIORITY IN A LIGHT WIND AS
WELL AS IN GOOD RACING RREKzE-rHE CUP Is
SAFE WITH HKR, SAYS NEILs OLSEN.
A telegram to the New York Sun from Newport,
August 4. says: The day opened unpropitiously
for the 41-mile run OF the fleet OF the New York
Yacht Club to this port. The breeze was gentle
| from east-nOrtheast. The Electra steamed out
ahead OF the slowly moving feet, and anchored
south OF SeafoWer Beacon at 9:37, and fired the
| starting gun. The little sloop Espirito was the
first boat timed Owing to the length OF the start
ing line, which extended from the shore nearly q
| mile out to the Seaf1Ower Beacon there was some
difficulty tn distinguishing the yachts The Pur1-
tan was the first OF the giants to approach the
line. She carried club topsail jib and forestay-
| SAIL Her mainsa1l was apparently new one,
and ht her snugly. The Volunteer, which was
originally half mile astern of the Puritan,
drew upon her as though she had an invisible
tow. Everybody wondered at her marvellous speed
| yachts were on the port tack, and probably were
| doing good work, but nobody noticed it, as all
were absorbed IN the performance OF the volun-
teer. The puritan crossed the line at 946 80 The
Volunteer followed, having gotten the windward
gauge on Mr.. Forbes darling nine seconds later
noticeable. She passed to wlndward Of the Puri-
| tan as swiftly as crack propeller might go by
ferryboat. A waggish admirer OF the stee! craft
asked why the Puritan had anchored. Mr. Forbes
shook out the brave sloops jbtopsail at 9:4S hop
| ing to redeem some OF his lost ground, but the
ad the
| struggling to get out OF the Chinese puzzle of
yachts, battling for the line against tide and
wind. A mile or more from the flagship the wind
was merely light air. At 10 O'Clock 1t died out
completely. Ten minutes later sails wrinkled and
Tapped and masts assumed the perpendicular.
The rest Of the fleet struggled azily the line.
The sun came out and added to the discomfort of
the calm. Then fair breeze from east southeast
impaired motion to the fleet. The tide was favor
able at midday, and the breeze then freshened a
bit. The Puritan In some way, probably by keep
ing out Of the tide and getting the breeze first
leSsening the space between herself and the Vol
| unteer. This did not last long, however. The
| volunteer tackled and crossed her bows at 1910.
continued light from the east-southeast. OF
Watch Hill, Which was dotted with spectators the
volunteer was nearly mile ahead OF the Puritan.
The lovely leader went about on the starbOard
tack at 4:34 and stood for Point Judith. The
wind, which had shifted to southeast freshened,
and the Volunteer showed for the first time during
the variable day thin segment vi her black bot
tom as she heeled to port She started sheets and
passed the Point at $3.50. Her nimble sailormen
Immediately clambered out on her long nOSe-pOle
| and gathered in the jlb-tOpsail. Eight minutes
later her balloon JibtopSai bellied from the stay.
The Puritan passed the Point at 5S, thence into
Newport Harbor. The wind was just forward the
beam. The finish was between Commodore Gerry,S
Electra and the Dumplings.
The general comment on the Volunteer by New
Workers who saw her sail for the first time to-day
Is that she Is the finest singlesticker ever turned
out ey bag NILS Olsen n, remarked
ave need not fear losing the cup with that boat
TO defend It," The run to-day demonstrates that
the Volunteer is marvel In light breezes. 1t was
only when she was in the near neghDorhoOd OF
the Puritan, and both yachts had the same wind,
that She could be fairly compared with her. Every
time this happened the Volunteer showed herself
1mmeasurably superior. The finish OF the leaders
was witnessed by hundreds OF folks On the Dump
llngS and the opposite bluffs and in feet OF cat
boats that bounded out TO meet them. The Volun-
teer finished at 6:O5 :4S, the Puritan at 6;13:OO
and the Atlantic at 624 :25. More than half the
fleet came In after SUNSET and were not timed.
The Volunteer beat the Puritan seven minutes and
twenty-One seconds and the Atlantic one minute
and fOrty-nve seconds. This is the official record
OF the yachts that were timed: